


Scarce to be Counted

by HathorAroha



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Kid!Adam, pre-curse Adam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 08:47:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12250989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HathorAroha/pseuds/HathorAroha
Summary: Determined to prove to his mother he can count all the stars, little prince Adam tries to do just that, with the help of Plumette and Lumiere.





	Scarce to be Counted

One time, when he was but four or five, Adam had told his mother he would count all the stars in the sky one day. She had laughed gently, kissing him on the cheek as she explained there were far too many to count in a lifetime, even if one counted for every hour of the rest of their life.

“Scarce to be counted,” she had told him with an affectionate smile, “There are more stars in the sky than flower petals in all the castle’s gardens.” 

“I’ll count them all, you’ll see!”

* * *

Tonight, this one nameless night, he was going to prove he could count all the stars in the sky. There was no moon tonight to wash out the stars, and it looked set to be a clear summer’s night. When he passed by the windows as he walked through the halls leading away to the front doors of the palace, he heard crickets chirping to each other, some other sleepless little birds in the garden joining in the melody of nightfall. Somewhere in the distance, he was sure he heard the gentle hoot of an owl from a distant perch. 

The front door of the castle stood ajar, the prince slipping through it at once, descending the steps to the gardens below. He stopped at the last step when the haunting notes of a violin reached out to him, urging him to listen. No one but Chapeau could play a violin like that; and indeed, he spotted him under one of the castle lamps, partially in shadow as he swayed with his music-making. Was it just him, or did the crickets chirp louder at the sound? 

He wandered through one of the stone paths that winded their way around islands of fragrant flowers, many of them with petals folded up, sleeping through the night. Stopping before one of his favourite fountains, the water glittering in the starlight, he perched on its wide rim, staring up at all the stars he could see above him. 

_That’s a lot of stars._

The Milky Way was a marble river winding its way from horizon to horizon, stars spilled out on its shores like little pebbles. He could recognise constellations he saw before in a book, and he at least knew a couple of them. Right now, Scorpius graced the sky with its angry red heart, Antares. 

_I’ll start with Scorpius._

Growing still and silent with intense concentration, the little boy stared intently at the stars as he counted first the ones he could see gleaming in Scorpius, tracing his way from the tip of the sting to its base. Once satisfied he had counted all the stars in that constellation, he let his concentration roam next to Sagittarius, although he still couldn’t quite work out how it looked anything like a centaur. Regardless, the shape of Sagittarius still burned in his memories from the ancient, heavy book of major constellations in the sky that Cogsworth had shown him once. Adam had insisted that the book be kept where he could easily read it, and didn’t have to ask an adult to take it down every time he wanted to look through it again. 

_Thirty! That makes thirty!_

And yet, thirty was not even a drop in the ocean of countless stars still twinkling down at him, waiting patiently to be acknowledged in his counting. Soon, he had to stop, biting his lip in consternation as he tried to think if he had counted  _that_ star before, or if he had missed  _that_ star. 

_I can start again._

Maybe if he managed to count a hundred stars, then he would go back inside and go up to bed before one of the servants came out to see where he had disappeared to. 

And start again he did, beginning again with Scorpius, only to twitch in surprise when someone’s hand ruffled his hair. 

“Counting all the stars, are we?” 

The boy turned to shush Lumiere as he and Plumette settled down either side of him. 

“I got to thirty before,” he said with great pride, “but then I got confused.” 

Plumette gazed up at the sky, “There are a lot of them, Adam.” 

“Mama says I cannot count all the stars in a lifetime. But I want to try.” 

A gentle laugh from his friends, Plumette’s arm coming around him in a gentle cuddle, his head leaning on her shoulder. 

“I once tried to count them too as a child,” Plumette said, “I gave up on the first try. I think I got about eleven or twelve, so you counted a lot more than I did!”

“Which stars? Can you remember?” 

Plumette laughed quietly, “I know a few were at least in the constellation Libra.” 

“How many stars?” 

“I think about five or six.” 

Adam now addressed Lumiere, who was leaning back on his hands, gazing at another part of the sky. 

“What about you, Lumiere?”

“Shhh,” he hushed, “I think I already counted a thousand.” 

“Really?” Adam asked.

“I’m a very fast counter, my prince,” Lumiere looked over at him with a grin. 

“Can you help me?” 

Lumiere stood up, reaching his hands up to the Milky Way, making a show of counting all the stars, first with his fingers, then with great sweeps of his hands, until he finally twirled around, hands making grand gestures as he returned them to his sides. 

“A million billion!” 

“No there isn’t. You can’t count  _that_ fast.” 

Lumiere gave one of his genial laughs, the kind of laugh that always filled Adam’s heart with delight and a feeling like he wanted to join in the fun too. Huddled up in Plumette’s comforting embrace, he began to feel a light sense of drowsiness, like sleep had finally found him in the garden and was now gently urging him to bed. 

A peaceful few minutes passed between the three friends, Lumiere returning to sit by Plumette and Adam, his arms coming around them in an embrace too. Adam could feel himself relaxing in the cuddle, cocooned between Plumette and Lumiere, his eyes falling shut as his drowsiness deepened, arms relaxing around Plumette’s waist. 

“I think he’s falling asleep,” Plumette whispered from above him. 

“No I’m not,” Adam mumbled, “I’m not sleepy.” 

Lumiere chuckled, “Yes you are. Come on, let’s get you inside.” 

Adam shifted a little in the huddle of arms around him. “Sleep under…stars…tonight?”

“Well, is falling asleep under the stars…” 

Plumette’s words were interrupted by the smallest of snores as Adam finally fell asleep. She couldn’t help a warm smile as she met Lumiere’s gaze. 

“He’s asleep.” 

“Counting stars in his dreams too, I’m sure, my love.” 

Plumette couldn’t help a soft laugh, “You know he is, Lumiere.” 


End file.
